Sequestration to force education cuts

Published 11:13 pm, Friday, March 8, 2013

HARTFORD -- The federal budget standoff that has forced everyone to learn what the word sequestration means will force cuts in special education, remedial education and other programs tied to the state's most vulnerable population, Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor said this week.

Pryor said at least 15 education grants stand to lose approximately 4.5 percent of funding, with most of the impact starting in the 2013-14 school year.

"We are still deciphering it. We are still getting information. Not all of the information is consistent," Pryor told the state Board of Education.

Among programs on the list are the state's basic special education grant, the Title 1 grant that provides tutoring to low income students, grants for improving teacher quality, vocational education, a 21st Century Grant used for after-school programs, a special education preschool grant, adult education, the School Improvement Grants, English literacy and civics education grants, a math and science partnership grant, a grant that benefits homeless youth and one that helps low-income students pay for advanced placement testing fees.

If the cuts, which went into effect on March 1, stand, Pryor said, they are not likely to be made up by the state. Connecticut continues to encounter fiscal problems.

"We are still surveying the impact," Pryor said. It is unclear, he said, what the cuts will mean in terms of staffing.

In Bridgeport, Schools Superintendent Paul Vallas said the 2013-14 budget he is in the process of developing anticipates a reduction in Title 1 funding.

"The longer it goes on, the more impact it has on us," Vallas said.

Many others are uncertain what impact the cuts will leave on schools.

"If it does impact 21st Century Community Learning Centers, it could potentially impact a minimum of nine after-school programs and well over 1,200 children whose parents rely on these services," said Tammy Pappa, who runs the Lighthouse after-school programs in Bridgeport.

Those programs already are facing potential state budget cuts.

"Right now, it's just wait and see," said Laurie LeBouthillier, principal at O'Brien Tech in Ansonia.

LeBouthillier said she was concerned about what the sequester might mean to the technical high schools, but she hasn't heard of anything that would affect her school.

Statewide, sequestration is expected to cost the state $56 million between education, housing and social service grants.

Sequestration, or an automatic spending cutback, was put into place in the absence of a Congressional deal to address the federal budget deficit.